Mean Joe Greene Biography
NFL Defensive Lineman Legend
People didn't start calling Joe Greene"Mean" just because it sounded good. He came by that nickname honestly. Indeed, his reputation preceded him even during his days as a Temple High School football star. After one particularly tough loss, Mean Joe Greene was hit in the chest by a bottle hurled from the winning team's bus. He pried open the door and entered the vehicle determined to fight the entire squad. He never got the chance. Despite a 45 to 1 advantage, his opponents kicked open the emergency exit and fled into the night.
Greene officially became known as "Mean" at North Texas State, where he spent a couple of seasons twisting runners and quarterbacks into pretzels before gaining national recognition as an All American his senior year.
Mean Joe Greene's rookie season with the struggling 1-13 Pittsburgh Steelers set new standards in meanness. Frustrated by his team's poor play, he sent player after player limping off the field. Green's display of raw power made the rest of the league cringe. Twice that first season, Mean Joe Greene was ejected from games for being too violent, causing one teammate to liken Greene's playing style to a dog getting hold of a snake.
Mean Joe didn't end up maiming anyone,, but he did continue to mature along with the rest of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He became a team leader, able to rally Pittsburgh's defense with his words and his actions. Performences like the one he turned in against Houston in 1972 became typical. Protecting a precarious 9-3 lead with half of the team injured, and a playoff spot on the line, Greene stripped the ball from a Houston Oiler runner to stop one scoring threat, then sacked the quarterback three consecutive times to put the game away. "I've never seen adefensive lineman play better," said Pittsburgh Steelers' coach Chuck Noll after the game. "I doubt if anyone has."
Mean Joe Greene Time-line Biography
- Age 8 - Helps support family by picking cotton until age 12.
- Age 13 - Quits Junior High School football team when he is relegated to second string.
- Age 14 - Weighs 210 lbs, is picked on by older kids and takes aggression out on the football field.
- Age 16 - Greene moves to middle linebacker. Weighs 235 lbs. Gains reputation for playing dirty. Rumor circulates that he's 21
- Age 18 - Accepts scholarship to North Texas State University
- Age 22 - Becomes first All-American in school's history. Drafted #4 in first round by the Pittsburgh Steelers and wins the defensive tackle job.
- 1972 - Mean Joe Greene leads Steelers to playoffs for the first of eight straight years.
- 1974 - Named NFL Defensive Player of the Year for second time.
- 1980 - Joe wins his fourth Super Bowl
- 1981 - Retires at the end of the season.
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